title: Informal Trade of Psychoactive Herbal Products in the City of Diadema, SP, Brazil: Quality and Potential Risks.
abstract: The present study aimed to assess the quality and risks involved in the consumption of psychoactive herbal products (PHs) that are available through informal commerce in the city of Diadema, SP, Brazil. Methods of ethnography were used to conduct the fieldwork during which four dealers were selected to record the collection, handling, packaging, types of PHs marketed, and their therapeutic purposes. In addition, lots of the PHs selected were purchased from the dealers and analyzed using microbiology and pharmacognosy techniques. 217 PHs were recorded and categorized into two main groups: stimulants (67%) and depressants (27%) of the central nervous system; sixteen of them were selected, and their 52 lots were acquired. The deficiencies observed in handling and packaging these lots by dealers were confirmed by microbiological analysis; 80.8% of them presented risk according to the indicators defined by the Brazilian Pharmacopoeia. The pharmacognostic analysis confirmed the authenticity of only 9 to 16 PHs analyzed. In addition, descriptions of contraindications, adverse reactions, and drug interactions were found in the literature for the PHs. The results of this study allow the observation of the priorities for the sanitary adequacy of the popular trade of herbs.
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Departamento de Medicina Preventiva, Rua Borges Lagoa, 1341 2° andar, 04038-034 São Paulo, SP, Brazil ; Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Centro de Estudos Etnobotânicos e Etnofarmacológicos, Rua Prof. Artur Riedel 275, 09972-270 Diadema, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Julino Assunção Rodrigues
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Soares Neto
authors.forename: Edna Myiake
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Kato
authors.forename: Adriana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bugno
authors.forename: José Carlos F
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Galduróz
authors.forename: Luis Carlos
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Marques
authors.forename: Thiago
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Macrini
authors.forename: Eliana
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rodrigues